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Nov 6, 2015

Wang Jianlin talks at Harvard Business School

Chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group (万达集团) and recently named “Richest Man in China”, Wang Jianlin, addressed an audience of over 800 students and faculty at Harvard Business School on Thursday, October 29, 2015.

Wang Jianlin speaks at Harvard Business School. This video is unedited and does not contain subtitles. A subtitled and translated video will be uploaded soon.

Described by Professor Willy Shih as “the leader in commercial real estate in China,” Dalian Wanda Group is perhaps best known in China for Wanda Plaza. The company is increasingly visible in the U.S., however, for its acquisition of brands such as AMC Cinemas and the Ironman triathlon group, as part of a strategic shift from a regional company, to a national and now global conglomerate.

Wang Jianlin speaks to an audience of around 880 students at Harvard Business School

After an introduction by Professor William Kirby, Mr. Wang addressed the 800-strong audience, saying “Harvard is famous for its intellectual freedom. Ask me anything at all.”

“Harvard is famous for its intellectual freedom. Ask me anything at all.”

Mr. Wang described how Dalian Wanda group strategically planned its expansion to become China’s largest private property developer, as well as the company’s expansion into tourism and cultural industries.

Wang Jianlin meets with (from left to right): Jennifer Rudolph, Executive Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and Harvard China Fund; Professor William Kirby; Professor Willy Shih; and Professor Mark Elliott, Director of the Fairbank Center and Vice-Provost for International Affairs at Harvard University.

“We are currently experiencing the fourth transformation since 2012 — we are going global. We began the process [to go global] very early, and at that time we were not as ambitious as today, we had just bought our first U.S. company,” said Mr. Wang (translation from the Fairbank Center). Mr. Wang also stated that he hoped the Dalian Wanda Group would become an ambassador for Chinese companies investing overseas, with overseas revenue currently counting for 50% of Dalian Wanda Group’s overall revenue.

Wang Jianlin at Harvard Business School, October 29, 2015

“Our Strategic goal is to have $200 billion in assets in 5 years time, so that in 2020 we are a public company worth over $20 billion with over $10 billion in profits. Among these, revenue from overseas will be 30%. This is part of our process of transformation from a Chinese company to a global company,” Mr. Wang remarked.

Professor Shih then engaged Mr. Wang in conversation, with a live Q&A with the audience.